The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods of cooling using galley monuments and, more particularly, to systems and methods for cooling a passenger compartment or cabin using the galley monument.
On hot days, the passenger compartment of an aircraft on the ground can become uncomfortably warm for passengers and crew. Furthermore, it is desirable for the aircraft to have the lights, in-flight entertainment and other heat loads on, which increases the temperature in the passenger compartment. Cooling capacity of the conventional passenger compartment cooling system can be increased by either increasing power to the system, which negatively impacts fuel efficiency, or by installing larger generators and larger system components, which increases weight and cost of the aircraft.
When the aircraft is on the ground, cool air is pumped into galley compartments of a galley monument, which is used to cool galley carts that hold airline meals. Airline meals are typically prepared in advance by caterers and held in galley carts, which are loaded onto the aircraft prior to takeoff. The galley monument typically includes a plurality of refrigerated compartments or zones, and a heat exchanger is used to supply cooled air to each of the compartments or zones via one or more ducts. The cooled air is not efficiently used in the galley compartments when no galley carts are present. Additionally, when the galley carts are first placed in the galley monument, the galley carts are loaded with dry ice to keep the meals or drinks cold during transport to the aircraft. Such dry ice lasts for a significant period of time after the galley carts are loaded into the galley compartments, which reduces the demand for cooled air in the galley compartments. As such, the cooled air is not efficiently used or unnecessary in some circumstances. Furthermore, the cooled air in the galley compartments is not efficiently used due to leakage from the galley compartments, which are located at the floor level. Any cool air escaping from the galley compartments sinks into the belly of the aircraft and does not efficiently cool the passenger compartment.